Kevin Dodd’s still not feeling as explosive as he did before foot surgeries

Posted by Darin Gantt on September 7, 2017, 10:38 AM EDT

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Titans linebacker Kevin Dodd made it back to the field after being plagued by foot problems since before his rookie season.

But he’s still not back to being himself.

Dodd told Paul Kuharsky of the The Midday 180 in Nashville that he’s still not feeling the same kind of explosive burst which helped him become the 33rd overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

“That’s something I can improve on, a year out of football you kind of lose that,” Dodd said. “So I continue to work on things. It’s not what it used to be, I can tell you that. I can’t really give you a comparison or a number or anything. But it’s just not what it used to be.

“Mid-July is when I started running, first-time pushing a sled. I’m not surprised. You’ve got to be patient. Things aren’t just going to come overnight.”

Dodd had a second surgery in January to help fix a stress fracture which limited him his rookie season. He wasn’t running fully until just before the start of training camp, and they weren’t sure he was going to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Now that he’s (somewhat more) healthy and on the Titans roster, the question becomes whether he’s part of their active 46 on gameday. The Titans kept 11 linebackers, and he’s not a regular on special teams, so it’s unclear if he’ll be active to back up Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan.

Given the draft capital the Titans gave up to get the former Clemson standout, they obviously want him to stay on the roster and play a part. But he’s still trying to get back to the kind of pass-rusher they thought he’d be,which is the first step.

1 responses to “Kevin Dodd’s still not feeling as explosive as he did before foot surgeries”

He apparently missed the class “How to respond to questions about injuries in the offseason 101”. The answer should be: “The doctors say I’m ahead of schedule and I feel great. I think I’m rested and in the best shape of my life.”